1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to backplane technologies. More particularly, and not by way of any limitation, the present invention is directed to a system and method for introducing proprietary signals into a standard backplane.
2. Description of Related Art
The exponential increase in the number of local telephone lines, mobile subscribers, pages, fax machines, and other data devices, e.g., computers, Information Appliances, etc., coupled with deregulation that is occurring worldwide today is driving demand for small form factor, high capacity switching nodes (e.g., Signal Transfer Points or STPs) which must be easy to maintain, provide full SS7 functionality with so-called “five nines” operational availability (i.e., 99.999% uptime), and provide the capability to support future functionality or features as the need arises. Further, as subscriber demand for more service options proliferates, an evolution is taking place in the telecommunications industry to integrate Intelligent Network (IN)-capable Service Control Point (SCP) functionality within STP nodes to give rise to what are known as “signaling server” nodes that have integrated or hybrid functionality.
Additionally, coupled with the phenomenal popularity of the Internet, there has been a tremendous interest in using the packet-switched network (PSN) infrastructure employed in the data networks (e.g., those based on Internet Protocol (IP) addressing) as a replacement for, and/or as an adjunct to, the existing circuit-switched network (CSN) infrastructure deployed in today's voice networks. Several advantages are expected to be realized due to such integration. From network operators' viewpoint, the inherent traffic aggregation in PSN allows for a reduction in the cost of transmission and the infrastructure cost per end-user. Ultimately, such cost reductions enable the network operators to pass on the savings to subscribers. Also, operators of a new breed of service-centric networks (collectively referred to as the Next-Generation Network or NGN infrastructure, distinct from the existing voice-centric and data-centric networks) can offer enhanced services with integrated voice/data/video to subscribers who will be using endpoints of diverse multimedia capabilities.
While it is generally expected that a single platform that supports large-database, high-transaction IN services as well as high-capacity packet switching will reduce equipment costs, reduce network facility costs and other associated costs while increasing economic efficiency, those skilled in the art should recognize that several difficulties must be overcome in order to integrate the requisite functionalities into a suitable network element that satisfies the stringent performance criteria required of carrier-class, telecom-hardened network equipment. Daunting challenges arise in designing a compact enough form factor that is efficiently scalable, ruggedized, and modularized for easy maintenance, yet must house an extraordinary array of complex electronic circuitry, e.g., processors, control components, timing modules, I/O, line interface cards which couple to telephony networks, etc., that is typically required for achieving the necessary network element functionality. Whereas the electronic components may themselves be miniaturized and modularized into cards or boards that can be interconnected, supporting the requisite functionality within a stringent form factor on a backplane poses many obstacles.
Advances in backplane technology have accordingly become very important in the context of today's telecommunications network equipment. Clearly, providing a standardized backplane with a rugged form factor and connectorization, including a standard bus path across the backplane, is critical to the overall equipment design. Additionally, such standardization is necessary for ensuring interoperability of off-the-shelf components developed by third-party suppliers.
Whereas the emergence of standards-compliant backplanes and associated bus technologies (e.g., the Compact Peripheral Component Interconnect (CPCI) bus standard) has been laudatory, the need for continuous improvement nevertheless remains in this important field. For example, current standard backplanes support only a limited number of signal pathways that span the entire backplane and these signal pathways (collectively, the bus) are typically confined to carrying standards-compliant bus signals to the various cards connected thereto. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that in many applications it may be desirable and/or necessary to increase the number of such pathways so that additional signals (e.g., application-specific control signals) may be carried thereon across the backplane. Further, such a solution for providing the carrying capacity for additional signals should not so interfere with the bus standard employed that it effectively precludes interoperability with the compliant off-the-shelf cards.